Pneumatic jacks are frequently found in automobile repair facilities. Many such jacks utilize air springs (also called “air lift bags,” “air struts,” and “air bellows”) to create a lifting force. An air spring may comprise a reinforced bladder. Inflation of the bladder by compressed air causes the air spring to expand. A jack pad contacts the vehicle and allows the air spring to raise the vehicle. Pneumatic jacks with air springs may have lifting capacities of three tons or more.
Air springs tend to gradually lose their lifting force as they are inflated, which may inversely impact the lifting capacity of an air-spring-based jack. At the same time, many air-spring-based jacks suffer from the inability to be lowered sufficiently to be used to lift vehicles that sit relatively low to the ground (i.e., low profile vehicles). There is, as a result, a need for alternative air-spring-based pneumatic jack designs that address these shortcomings while still providing ample lifting capacities and maximum lifting heights.